World Darts Championship 2025/26: Full Dates and Session Times Guide
Dartsmas is closing in with the 2025/26 PDC World Darts Championship getting under way in December.
The tournament is the pinnacle of the darting calendar, and the event – which runs from December 2025 to Christmas into January 2026 – is one of the highlights of the sporting year.
The 2026 World Championship will be back at London’s Alexandra Palace and, this year, begins on Thursday December 11 with a Saturday final on January 3 at 8pm.
With the exception of the opening night, semi-finals and final, the World Championship is split over two sessions of play. A set of afternoon matches are followed by a group of evening games and that allows fans and punters two opportunities to soak up the action.
Tournament Dates Overview
The 2026 World Darts Championship starts at 7pm on Thursday December 11 and runs through to the final, which will take place at 8pm on January 3.
There will be a total of 128 players for the first time in this year’s event with the participants increased from last season’s 96 arrowsmiths.
The expansion of the tournament will give players from the PDC’s global and secondary tours more spots to compete on the biggest stage of darts and the preliminary round will be no more.
The World Championship pauses for a natural festive break on December 24, 25 and 26, and those players who return after Christmas will feel like they have a real shot of lifting the famous trophy.
Daily Session Schedule
There will be 36 sessions of darts, spread across 20 days of action, at the 2026 World Championship with afternoon action getting under way at 12.30pm and the evening play starting at 7pm.
The first-round is played over 17 sessions over the first seven days of the event, before round two kicks in on Saturday, December 20.
The tournament breaks after the second-round matches are complete on December 23 and the action resumes at the third-round stage, after Christmas, on December 27.
Round four is spread over an afternoon and evening session on December 30 and the quarter-finals follow on New Year’s Eve.
After the new year has been rung in, the first semi-final takes place on the evening of Friday, January 2 at the later start time of 7.30pm, while the final is scheduled for Saturday, January 3 at 8pm.
The full World Championship schedule was released prior to July’s World Matchplay event.
Broadcast and Viewing Information
UK darts fans can watch all of the 36 sessions of World Championship darts live on Sky Sports.
TV coverage begins at midday for the afternoon sessions and 6.30pm for the evening action.
International darts fans can check time conversions and local broadcasters for local timings.
Viewers from other jurisdictions can view the action live via the PDC’s online streaming service, and the event is broadcast around the world.
The iconic Sid Waddell Trophy and total prize fund of £5m is up for grabs while darts superstar Luke Littler will be out to defend the title he took home in last season Alexandra Palace extravaganza.
Looking Ahead to Future Championships
The World Championship has been expanded to 128 players this season and the event continues to grow.
This season and the ones that follow will involve more nations and affiliate tours as the PDC aims to capture an even bigger global audience.
The tournament has become synonymous with the Alexandra Palace venue, but with demand for tickets ever-increasing, there have been talks of the event moving from the north London arena or expanding to one of Alexandra Palace’s higher-capacity halls.
Tickets for this year’s World Championship have already sold out, but fans eager for a slice of the fun over the festive period should check the PDC for resale, waiting list and hospitality options.
